PIB TIP: FIXED AND VARIABLE COSTS. A fixed cost is determined and does not change from month to month. Any expense related to time, such as a tractor payment, insurance payment, permit and license fees, is a fixed cost. That cost will be the same every day whether your truck is driven one mile or 600 miles. A variable cost – such as fuel, tires and maintenance – is related to how much you drive. ...

PIB TIP: COSTS VARY MONTHLY. If you drive 9,600 miles one month and 10,000 miles the next, you’ll have two sets of costs for each month. If your monthly tractor payment is $1,850 and you drive 9,600 miles in a month, the payment will cost 19.3 cents per mile. But, if you drive 10,000 miles, the payment will cost 18.5 cents per mile. Fixed costs do not go down over time, buy you can reduce ...